Thread: Louisiana PDR Oz3..Bubinga and cypress wood..Rudderbox complete

HI Mark,

Wow ... that is the most extravagantly lovely OzRacer RV!!! I think it is a high water mark for detail design and finish!

Permission to use photos, Sir?

Did you make sure to put the bolt through the tiller and rudderbox head - it is essential or the box will break. But once installed these boxes are just about indestructible.

Also looking at the windsurfer sail ... I think it might work better in the front mast position. If you have problems tacking then that might be the solution. The centre of effort (middle of the sail) looks too far back - and the boat might tend to get halfway through tacking and sit head to wind.

If the forward position is probably better. But if it is TOOOOO far forward the boat will have lee helm. With the wind from the right side the boat will want to turn left. This is maybe worse than the tacking problem. But try it and see how it goes.

Also have you protected the windsurfer mast at the deck level - several turns of fibreglass around the mast at that point will help reduce the risk of damage.

Looks SUPER - really nice job!

Originally Posted by Boatmik

Did you make sure to put the bolt through the tiller and rudderbox head - it is essential or the box will break. But once installed these boxes are just about indestructible.

SNIP!

Looks SUPER - really nice job!

Designer found guilty about banging on about the bolt through the tiller for a second page in a row!

The WS Mast Doesn't go thru Deck, so as to eliminate all the Breaking and Rubbing problems...I simply used the WS rig and Attached the mast to the Floor with a Standard WS attachment....the STUB mast (rear mast hole) is holding the WS sail up with a loop of line around the WS mast, just below the Wishbone....The picture is NOT my mast, but someone else's Mast and Sail on MY Boat, just for a test sail, they didn't even have the Foil yet, they used used straight plywood rudder and CB.......The base of the WS mast Slides forward and Aft to adjust for CE. They did move the CE more forward after that picture.

You can see in this picture the WS mast attachment and Slider, on the Floor. I also started sanding the epoxy smooth on the Deck, to get ready for Varnish. ....The Lug Sail is from Duckworks and is ready...I'll probably sail with it mostly, unless I'm going off a beach, then I may use the WS sail.... Funny, I used some Automobile Vinyl body Wrap, that looks just like REAL Carbon Fiber and I wrapped my Aluminum Boom and Yard with it, for the Lug sail....It really came out good and you can't tell it form Carbon Fiber.....and a whole lot cheaper .....I think it made the Aluminum even lighter.....
Sure, you can use Any pictures you want.....I'm a open Book anyway

Pic of WS mast Slider attachment to Floor of PDR

What a great solution for the windsurfer rig! Probably the sail will need to be more upright to bring the Centre of effort forward - might mean the step needs to go back and the rig is more upright. What size sail is it?

Are you going to try it with a fixed central rudder about 1/3 to 1/2 down and steer with the windsurfer rig? hehe - at least for a try!!!

The only PDRacer that beats my polytarp sail equipped PDRs (for the OzRacers that were adapted or grandfathered) is one with a windsurfer rig.

I think it was almost as fast as Brad Hickman's OzRacer with a dacron sail and vang system. But after winning the event Brad was challenged on boat measurements six months after the event and had to trail his boat a couple of hundred miles to be measured. He doesn't participate in PDR sailing any more.

The boat with the WS rigbelongs to Scot - he broke his original mast and the only quick replacement he could find was a WS rig. He put that in and the boat performed very well. I am sure a conventional fully battened mainsail would work much better that the polytarp sail design and method that comes in the plan - but I'm all for keeping it cheap as possible.

If there ever is racing for OzRacers as a class (or if there ever is SERIOUS racing for them) I think polytarp sails are a great idea. Means everyone is equally matched at the cheapest possible pricepoint - rather than starting a arms race for the best rig possible. Racing might happen in Hungary first - there are some good sailors who have built boats - they created a class insignia too.

MIK

Originally Posted by Boatmik

HI Mark,

Wow ... that is the most extravagantly lovely OzRacer RV!!!

SNIP!

Looks SUPER - really nice job!

By extravagant ... I did not necessarily mean expensive!!! I meant really really nice!

MIK

Mik,
I have Two WS sails..one is a new one that I bought at a clearance price, with 2 lower cams...but more of a flat cut or small draft toward the top, its a 9.0 Sq meter....It should be good for higher winds because it is flatter and WS sails tend to depower themselves....but I figure I can't know till I try it on the water, thats the real test...And the other WS sail is a older one (8.0 sq m) with battens with a Nice Deep draft, that I got on ebay for 60.00....I think this sail may be the better one, since PDR don't go that fast, I may need the draft to keep powered up....again, I'm not sure till I test it. Who knows, the new more modern WS sail may be good in heavy and light air .....

Scot is a good friend of mine, and I picked his brain to find the Weak spots about using the WS sail....it seems like having the mast go in the deck is hard to do, if you are going to use a WS sail that matches the Flex of the Mast, and all that is important to get the right shape for the sail....so instead of re inventing the Wheel, I just figured out how to "Plug" the WS mast and sail onto the OZ......The Stub mast could probably be .065 thickness ....I went with .125 because i was nervous and since its so short anyway, the weight was not a lot......If I had to do it again, I'd look for a used WS mast and make the bottom my stub mast.

I also Picked Brad's Brain and he gave me some good info on the Lug Rig with Aluminum spars and mast...he's a good guy, too bad about that mess....I knew Brads boat was legal...Its not hard to make a legal boat with the OZ shape, if you're a boat builder, which Brad certainly is a good one. The bad thing is the Next World Championships is in Western Canada, which is so far from me, that I'd have to buy a new car to drive back Home, if I went........So I may race it some in Ok. with the Monies...Sorry I missed the last one, I really wanted to meet you.

You may be right about the mast base needing to go back more....I did measure up a mock up before I had him build the boat, using my mast and sail and Figured out where the CE for WS sail is, (which is not easy ) I had to call a WS sail designer. The Sail in the photo is one that the builder had lying around his shop and they moved it back as far as it would go for the next sail...he told me he didn't notice any hard weather helm, but he's not a big sailor either.....I should have made that mast base adjustment about another 8 in. longer....but we'll see.

I hear you about the Arms Race...not a good idea.....I'm just doing this because I'm curious and I like the Shape of WS sails...they look fast ....But I also like Gaff rigged, Lug rig. sails too....Boats are a Curse I tell you. .
I'll keep you posted if your curious as to what WS sail works better.

Here are the Two Sails.

Originally Posted by markmilam

Mik,

SNIP!

I hear you about the Arms Race...not a good idea.....I'm just doing this because I'm curious and I like the Shape of WS sails...they look fast ....But I also like Gaff rigged, Lug rig. sails too....Boats are a Curse I tell you. .
I'll keep you posted if your curious as to what WS sail works better.

Here are the Two Sails.

I agree completely about the experimenting. Already you have a novel way of supporting a windsurfer mast in a way that doesn't particularly clutter the boat and supports the windsurf rig in a way that suits the way it was designed.

Great you are in touch with Brad - he did so much development that would have been great for the PDRs if they ever wanted to become a legit class - for those who would be interested in that. So great to have his info passed on. I do think the Goat group is onto something with their bleater method of downhaul as vang wth the bleater taking the forward thrust set up by the vang. I like it because it uses exactly the same ropes I designed the rig with - just moves them a bit.

I always mention the arms race of expense that every sailing class has bought into for other readers really. Need to tell them that they don't need to spend $500 on a sail - $50 is enough and you will learn a bit about basic sailmaking - demystify it a bit. And the sails work fine. But other alternatives are good too - particularly when some effort is made to get the CE right for different alternative.

I'd think that sliding the mast base back 2 or 3 inches would bring the CE much closer to where it is needed. But on the water is the test.

I'm always getting questions about other rigs - I even checked that a sunfish could work on the OzRacer with a particular orientation but many think/hope that they can drop a sail for XYZ class and that it will work without any checks.

As far as depth of sail - or lack of it on the sailboard sails. Extra area and luff length are another ways of getting more power!!

I look forward to further experiments with
1/ sailing holding the windsurfer rig.
2/ towing the ozracer - I'm not convinced it will be good or even OK - but it would be great to know. I suspect at lower speeds it might wander - but by 4 knots it will be sitting up on its stern so the towline will pull it straight. Tow point low on the bow.

MIK

What a great looking boat.
And a clever way to incorporate a windsurfer rig.

Exactly -

Most people will just go ahead and whack the windsurf rig into a normal mast step not realising that it is not set up to take the loads at the partner.

The method here is just super - the hull gets most of its load the way it normally does and the windsurf rig is supported near boom level - the way it is designed to be.

MIK

WOW!!!
Rolls Royce of PDR

Here is a Good Way to get rid of All Bubbles in epoxy....I trimmed my Centerboard to length and had to seal the end with epoxy...I taped off a dam about 2 mm above the cut and flowed some epoxy on it.......Then passed a butane hand torch.....Just pass the flames over the top of the epoxy and the bubbles Disappear in a Second or two......if more come back, do it again....after about 3 passes its Glass Smooth. Works on any piece.
Here are the pictures:

I'm Using 2 part poly Perfection Plus Varnish...Its hard as nails when set, but it works a little different....you have to use SLOW brush strokes and sort of let the varnish Fill in behind the foam brush, them Tip at each Wet edge where they meet.....But if Flows out ALL the Brush strokes and Is smoother than a spray job......at least it seems.

This is a picture with my 3rd Coat on the Cypress Floor... shop light reflection. Dust management is really important with this varnish, as its so Glossy, anything will show...full tyvek suit, respirator, hair net, ...you know the drill

I can't remember if I put it in the plan ... but did you read about using sugar for creating the pattern for a non skid surface. It lasts really well in two pot too.

Non Skid for cockpit floor or decks of a boat. | Michael Storer Wooden Boat Plans

MIK